Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Mar 2025
Reply rate
96.2 %
Usually responds within 5 days
Feedback
23
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Details
Description
Hi !
My name is Joanna and my husband is Didier.
We live in a large modern house surrounded by the most ancient cork oak forest in Europe. We have a wonderful view over the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees.
Our project is to protect the house and the forest from fire. The work consists of helping Didier maintaining the forest. This would require someone in good physical health.
We are a family of five, there is never less than eight persons in the house at a time. Our children Félix and Lucie (9 and 7) are homeschooling since the beginning of the covid crisis.
Elisabeth (Didier's mother) also lives with us.
We’ve been living with English and Spanish au pairs for five years until 2023 and we've really enjoyed it! We love sharing different cultures and languages. We care about each other and the environment.
In the house we communicate in three langages: French, English and Spanish, so you are not required to speak French!
Located in the heart of 'Pyrénées orientales', the place offers a lot of possibilities for hiking. Our house is about 2 kms away from Argelès-sur-Mer (our town) and 20 kilometers from the Spanish border. Argelès’s famous beach is only a 15 minutes drive. Our town is small, but quiet and very nice. You’ll find everything you need (stores, supermarkets, two pharmacies, aquatic center, library, etc.). It takes half an hour to reach Perpignan, the nearest city, and two hours to get to Barcelona by bus.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
Help around the house
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
While living with us, you'll experience a friendly family life and you 'll be able to :
- Exchange ideas about low environment impact,
- Share about life, knowledge and cultures of the world
- Enjoy many activities outdoor, like hiking, sea kayaking...
- Cook with us
- Play music
- Play chess
….
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Our main project is to protect the house and the forest from fire. The help consists of maintaining the forest by weeding and trimming and by collecting dead wood. This would require someone in good physical health.
There are also a variety of tasks to do outside like assisting with gardening, looking after the vegetable garden...etc
We also need help cleaning the house and cooking (if you like to cook).
The help doesn't require any specific skills.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
In the house we communicate in three langages: French, English and Spanish as we’ve been living with English and Spanish au pairs for five years. We love sharing different cultures and languages. We were used to have two au pairs at the same time.
Accommodation
We have a large, modern house surrounded by nature with a terrace over looking the sea. We have a wonderful, open plan kitchen and a nice huge living room. The stay is very comfortable.
We have 5 rooms in the main house and 2 rooms in a little house nearby (50 metres away). Each of us have our own bedroom. Bed sheets and towels are provided. There are 4 bathrooms in the main house, and 1 bathroom in the little house. We have two pianos. The children play the piano, clarinet and guitar.
We will provide the food. We love to eat all together and share a good time.
We really enjoy a friendly atmosphere!
We have three spare bedrooms for you. We can welcome single workers, couples or families.
What else ...
Organisation is decided together. There are 25 hrs of help per week. We need someone who is punctual, it is essential for the running of the household. We have lunch at 1:30pm and a second meal at 8pm all together.
We cook all of our meals from scratch. Most of the food is organic and/or local. We are used to separating meat/ingredients in case you have a vegetarian diet or other dietary requirements.
During your free time, there are a lot of possibilities to enjoy outings, mountain, visit sight seeing places…
Bus tickets cost only 1€ and take you to all the towns of the department.
We'll try to help you find information about how to spend your spare time doing activities you enjoy nearby.
To reach the house, we ask you to find transport to either Perpignan or directly to Argelès-sur-mer, then we will collect you from either area and take you to the house.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The house and the bedrooms are big enough to host digital nomads. The wifi is unlimited.
Space for parking camper vans
We have a lot of space (33 hectares) to welcome campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
We have a dog, and we would be happy to welcome more pets!
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (16)
They welcomed me in their home for over a month, this past summer, from July into August. I left for a couple weeks to travel to Spain, & they welcomed me back after, accommodating me, & always providing… read more
- tout d'abord avec les lieux: la région, le mas en pleine nature, isolé, avec une large vue sur toute la baie méditerranéenne (+ Pyrénées) et des levers de soleil 'beautifoul'
- la maison, non moins superbe et spacieuse. La chambre également !
- et surtout toute la 'tribu' bien sympathique, bien… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.9)
They welcomed me in their home for over a month, this past summer, from July into August. I left for a couple weeks to travel to Spain, & they welcomed me back after, accommodating me, & always providing… read more
- tout d'abord avec les lieux: la région, le mas en pleine nature, isolé, avec une large vue sur toute la baie méditerranéenne (+ Pyrénées) et des levers de soleil 'beautifoul'
- la maison, non moins superbe et spacieuse. La chambre également !
- et surtout toute la 'tribu' bien sympathique, bien… read more
J'ai eu de la chance de tomber sur ces hôtes pour ma première expérience de Workaway. On se trouve vraiment au coeur de la vie familiale: tous les repas se prennent ensemble et on peut prendre ce que l'on veut de la cuisine à l'heure où on veut le prendre.
Les photos sur ce site ne… read more
Although our stay was short, we were quickly made to feel like we were a part of the family. Joanna,… read more
During his stay, he worked mostly with another workaway (a mason) to… read more
Las tareas que realicé fueron variadas: desde lijar o limpiar hasta cortar madera o realizar cemento, 25 horas por semana con los fines… read more
During his stay, he collected wood with Didier and later he made a big work painting and vernishing wooden pieces (many doors outside… read more
She has also cooked very good… read more
The next city is not too easy to reach (if… read more
During their stay, we had interesting conversations about nature, trees, ecosystems, relationships, education, and life in general!
They have weeded during the whole month of january 2024. They have been working hard! The… read more
Our days started with having coffee and breakfast with an incredible view of the ocean, surrounding mountains and cork forest with sunrise! Work was generally 8am - 1pm - though since our work was autonomous, we preferred to make dinner for the group each evening and… read more
La meva estada ha consistit a donar classes de català als meravellosos nens, que començaran l'escola en aquest idioma aviat. L'entusiasme de la casa és contagiós, ha sigut un gran plaer descobrir el seu estil de vida multicultural! Estic molt agraïda per la fantàstica experiència!!
He permanecido ocho días, pero en conjunto me gusto la experiencia: ayudé… read more
